Elvis, Morrissey and Hobnobs

idle hands · Post by **idle hands** » Mon Feb 07, 2005 1:23 pm

Well, Otis, you might find this interesting...

Taken from a recent article in the London Times entitled "Will the Real Elvis Please Standup?"

Elvis was being compared to Bowie and Jagger as an English icon and had this to describe the fragility of being an artist today.

"Take Morrissey. For me, he’s been singing the same tune for 20 years. I just don’t get it. But he’s clearly an interesting character and means a lot to people. He seems to be of a disposition that is very sensitive to criticism and therefore it’s appropriately English that he becomes cherished in that kind of Frankie Howard, Tony Hancock way. Those who are fragile, who need to be cosseted, maybe their shortcomings or their excellence in their field is then woven into the fabric along with Albert Tatlock and Hobnobs.”

http://www.morrissey-solo.com/article.p ... ode=thread

Gillibeanz · Post by **Gillibeanz** » Mon Feb 07, 2005 1:46 pm

Well Elvis has just gone down in my estimation if he likes horse biscuits. Probably the sole reason he didnt make it big!!

Who Shot Sam? · Post by **Who Shot Sam?** » Mon Feb 07, 2005 2:19 pm

I just read that Elvis quote again and can't really make out what he's trying to say. Maybe it's just that I'm not English - or maybe it's a load of crap. It's fine if Elvis doesn't like Morrissey as much as others (including me) do, but this kind of comment (the part of it I understand at least) makes him sound like a bitter old fart.

I never thought of Morrissey as some sort of willing English icon. He moved to Los Angeles to get away from all of that I thought. Bizarre.

Gillibeanz · Post by **Gillibeanz** » Mon Feb 07, 2005 2:56 pm

Dont dwell on it. He was probably delirious from eating too many horse biscuits when he made the interview. They ferment in your stomach and cause all sorts of nasty farting sounds and smells!

Hmmmm, Albert Tatlock -now thats showing his age! I always thought Albert Talock looked like a guinea pig.......

Boy With A Problem · Post by **Boy With A Problem** » Mon Feb 07, 2005 2:58 pm

I like the carmel & hazelnut.

selfmademug · Post by **selfmademug** » Mon Feb 07, 2005 3:23 pm

I think it's pretty clear what he's saying. Something along the lines of, 'well, artistically he's crap, but I guess his persona is interesting, if you go in for that sort of thing, and I suppose it is all very English, so no harm done.'

Pretty fucking condescending, if you ask me. But now that Elvis hangs out with the sophisticated and musically dynamic likes of Elton and Sting, I guess he can poo-poo the Mighty Moz. I like TDM a lot, but frankly (Mr. Shankly) YOU ARE THE QUARRY meant much more to me this year, and will, I suspect, get far more listens over time.

Who Shot Sam? · Post by **Who Shot Sam?** » Mon Feb 07, 2005 3:36 pm

Amen, Mug.

El Vez · Post by **El Vez** » Mon Feb 07, 2005 5:26 pm

Didn't Elvis also comment that Morrissey comes up with great song titles but never manages to write the songs to go with them? I suppose if you're the O.G. Napoleon Dynamite then you've earned the right to make comments like this but it seems to reek of a personal thing rather than just Elvis being dismissive of Morrissey's music. And it's so completely random and unsolicited in terms of why he would go out of his way to bash the guy. Maybe the dude's vow of celibacy broke Elvis' heart at a very confused time in his life or something.

bobster · Post by **bobster** » Mon Feb 07, 2005 8:50 pm

I think Morrissey just pushes a certain button which I also possess. There's something that just strikes me as a little pretentious and boring about the guy and his music (which fails to move me in any way).

On the other hand, since EC usually goes out of his way to be nice to fellow artists these days, there probably is an untold story there somewhere, though I think Elvis is a bit ugly to have had even a gay phase (all gay men are good looking, right? Except for Charles Nelson Reilly and Rip Taylor, I mean.)

King Hoarse · Post by **King Hoarse** » Tue Feb 08, 2005 4:09 am

I remember an '84-ish article where Elvis said the Smiths were the best new English band he'd heard in a while (could have been a week for all I remember, but he seemed to like them).

Quarry is higher on the Morrissey-scale than TDM is on Elvis'. And the double release is more interesting too.

pophead2k · Post by **pophead2k** » Tue Feb 08, 2005 9:19 am

I have listened more to the Morrissey album after first getting it than I did TDM in the same time frame. Maybe Elvis just hasn't listened in recently.

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Tue Feb 08, 2005 7:59 pm

Strikes me as not very lucid thinking. In what way does fragility or the need to be cosseted lead to one's shortcomings/excellence being woven into the (national) fabric? Morrisssey may have left England, but he is certainly a English icon, or rather a Northern English one specifically and the years of putting other Northern icons on Smiths sleeves helped pave the way. Surely it's more to do with singularity and martyrdom than fragility.

That said, respect to IH for spotting that one. And the lovely rough hewn texture of a Hobnob suits being described as 'woven' much better than a smoother biscuit. And yes, Albert Tatlock was a hamster.

The interesting thing for me about YATQ was that at first I thought 'yawn - predictable', which it is, and yet once the beauty of many of the songs works its way in, especially Let Me Kiss You, it's there for good.

Mr. Misery · Post by **Mr. Misery** » Wed Feb 09, 2005 12:27 am

Beware, Morrissey holds more grudges than lonely high court judges! I really love these lines from the song Otis admires:

"So close your eyes
and think of someone
you physically admire
and let me kiss you."

johnfoyle · Post by **johnfoyle** » Wed Feb 09, 2005 1:57 am

Did someone mention Hobnobs?

alexv · Post by **alexv** » Wed Feb 09, 2005 10:57 am

I have a theory that EC's comments about other artists are really about....EC. So let's dissect the Morrissey paragraph using that approach:

"Take Morrissey[LET'S TALK ABOUT HIM AND COMPARE HIM TO ME]. For me, he’s been singing the same tune for 20 years[UNLIKE ME WHOSE CAREER IS THE EPITOME OF THE WELL ROUNDED ARTISTE BECOMING EXPERT IN EVERY GENRE]. I just don’t get it. But he’s clearly an interesting character [UNLIKE ME ABOUT WHOM "CHARACTER" IS IRRELEVANT, SINCE THE ESSENCE OF ME IS MY ARTISTIC OUTPUT, AS TO WHICH SEE ABOVE] and means a lot to people [WHICH IS CLEARLY UNJUST SINCE I DON'T SEEM TO MATTER MUCH TO A LOT OF PEOPLE (EXCLUDING THOSE CULTISTS THAT HANG OUT IN INTERNET SITES]. He seems to be of a disposition that is very sensitive to criticism [UNLIKE ME WHO TELLS CRITICS TO GO SCREW THEMSELVES, UNLESS THEY LIKE ME OF COURSE] and therefore it’s appropriately English that he becomes cherished [SO THIS IS THE REASON THEY LIKE HIM AND NOT ME WHOM THEY DO NOT CHERISH, BUT THAT'S BECAUSE UNLIKE THE WIMPY, FEY MOZZER, I AM A MACHO MAN ABLE TO WITHSTAND THE BASHING OF NORTH WITH SERENE APLOMB AND THE ENGLISH PUBLIC FEELS NO PITY AND DOES NOT NEED TO PATRONIZE ME] in that kind of Frankie Howard, Tony Hancock way [GUYS, I HAVE NO CLUE WHO THESE GUYS ARE]. Those who are fragile, who need to be cosseted [UNLIKE MORRISEY, I AM NOT FRAGILE, AND DO NOT NEED TO BE COSSETED,AND THAT MAKES ME A BETTER MAN AND ARITST, DAMMIT], maybe their shortcomings or their excellence in their field is then woven into the fabric [MY EXCELLENCE CANNOT BE WOVEN INTO ANY FABRIC, IT IS TOO TRANSCENDENT] along with Albert Tatlock and Hobnobs.”

Gillibeanz · Post by **Gillibeanz** » Wed Feb 09, 2005 12:07 pm

Morrissey is a dweeb!

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Wed Feb 09, 2005 7:45 pm

Gilli, there were two good reasons why this thread wasn't the place for you!

Mr. Misery · Post by **Mr. Misery** » Wed Feb 09, 2005 11:55 pm

I have a theory that Gillibeanz's comments about artists are really about Gillibeanz.

(Just kidding, luv!)

clairequilty · Post by **clairequilty** » Thu Feb 10, 2005 2:30 am

Never underestimate EC's tendency to shoot from the hip once and awhile.

Mccartney has been making the same music (bad) for more or less 30 years, but I doubt you'd find Elvis dissing him.

Not that I think that Morrissey has been an exquisite songwiter for the past 15 years, but there is no denying that the albums The Smiths made in the mid to late 80's, as well as Morrissey's first couple of solo releases, stand up with anything that EC did in the same time period.

Gillibeanz · Post by **Gillibeanz** » Thu Feb 10, 2005 5:38 am

Otis Westinghouse wrote:Gilli, there were two good reasons why this thread wasn't the place for you!

Otis I couldnt think of anything more unpleasant that eating a hob nob while listening to Morrissey's whinge singing........

MR MISERY : Is that so faceache? Takes one to know one!! (only kidding chuck!

)

Copenhagen Fan · Post by **Copenhagen Fan** » Thu Feb 10, 2005 8:12 am

Well EC is not all wrong. Morrisey HAS been singing the same old tune for ever. It just so happens that he does it well.

Who Shot Sam? · Post by **Who Shot Sam?** » Fri Mar 25, 2005 5:30 pm

I wasn't sure where I should put this, but I know that a few folks had mentioned that they'd seen Morrissey's Christmas gig at Earl's Court - Otis was it you? In any case, a live album of that show is coming out and is listed on Amazon for pre-order - I am sure that Amazon UK has it available as well:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/de ... ce&s=music

PlaythingOrPet · Post by **PlaythingOrPet** » Sat Mar 26, 2005 4:38 am

What Elvis doesn't realise is that Morrissey actually has a Hobnob phobia...

Jammie Dodgers on the other hand...

I really must stop putting off doing work. Procrastinators of the world unite...

...tomorrow!

Gillibeanz · Post by **Gillibeanz** » Sat Mar 26, 2005 6:07 am

POP: Now that made me laugh! Do you think the phobia of Hob Nobs is the reason his hair stands on end, and causes that quivver in his voice?